With this cool tattoo, Xiao Yu truly shone at school today, leaving even the bespectacled kid speechless.
Now, only one problem remained.
Fake tattoos drawn with oil-based pens, like Xiao Yu's, didn't last long. A good scrub after getting wet would usually wash them off. However, this time, the tattoo that should have easily come off seemed to have taken root on Xiao Yu's leg. Despite scrubbing until her leg turned red, not a single trace of it could be removed.
Upon returning to the antique shop, her dad's reaction to the tattoo on Xiao Yu's leg was one of utter dismay.
"Oh no! Xiao Yu, we're in big trouble now!"
Her dad took out the magic book Xiao Yu had previously borrowed and compared it repeatedly. "It's true. This is the mark of a great demon. If it's imprinted on you, it will drag you into endless darkness. Xiao Yu, we must remove it immediately with a spell."
"No, Dad."
Xiao Yu immediately refused when she heard her dad wanted to wash off the tattoo on her leg.
"Why, Xiao Yu? Do you know what this tattoo represents? It might be very dangerous, we must..."
"No!" Before Chen Long could finish, Xiao Yu interrupted him. "I understand. Look."
As she spoke, Xiao Yu began to cast a spell, and shadows surged from her silhouette, surrounding the three of them.
"Oh no! It's ninjas from the Shadowkhan!"
Not only were her dad and Chen Long startled, but Tarak, who had just walked in with freshly baked cookies, dropped them in fright and grabbed a broom, preparing to fight.
Seeing this, Xiao Yu quickly stepped forward to stop them.
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, they're all good people."
Then, Xiao Yu waved her hand at the surrounding ninjas as if she were training a dog, "Sit."
Instantly, all the ninjas sat down on the ground in unison, perfectly still.
"See, Uncle Chen Long, they all listen to me, and I only ask them to do good things. Please, let them stay."
"Absolutely not."
Chen Long rejected Xiao Yu's request without a second thought.
These were the ninjas of the Shadowkhan, once servants of Shendu! How could he possibly allow them to stay in the antique shop? Even if they were obedient to Xiao Yu now, who could guarantee they would remain so forever?
"Huh? Why?"
Chen Long didn't explain further. He took out a mirror and placed it in front of Xiao Yu for her to see.
In the mirror, Xiao Yu's skin had turned a faint blue, and her hair was beginning to shift from black to a deep blue.
"You're almost turning into a blue person."
Just as Chen Long said, the mark of Tarak gave Xiao Yu the ability to control ninjas. However, as Xiao Yu used this ability more, the mark's influence on her deepened, which was evident from her skin and hair.
Xiao Yu retorted, not to be outdone, "I like blue. Besides, Tarak has gotten better too."
"Tarak is a person!" Chen Long emphasized again.
"Now I want you to order them to leave. As soon as Dad finds the magic to remove the tattoo, you must wash it off immediately."
Just then, a gap suddenly blasted open in the wall beside them, and several ninjas in samurai armor walked in from outside.
"Xiao Yu, you!"
"It wasn't me."
Xiao Yu was also very innocent. She hadn't manipulated these ninjas at all. Where did these samurai ninjas come from?
"Who has stolen the power of the great master of the Shadowkhan, Tarak!"
Shortly after the samurai ninjas appeared, a large head floated in from outside.
"Oh no! It's a demon!"
Her dad didn't dare to delay, grabbing a pufferfish nearby, ready for battle. Tarak, on the other hand, trembled as he saw Tarak's appearance, the childhood fear surging back.
"The Eastern Mummy!"
Tarak was a native of the East, who had grown up listening to ghost stories about the Eastern Mummy. Who would have thought that after so many years, he would witness his fear come to life?
Behind Tarak followed two masked humans, each wearing the masks of Hsi Wu and Shendu.
Judging by their gait and the undisguised dark energy emanating from them, it was clear that they had been consumed by the masks they wore.
Tarak's gaze swept over them and stopped at Xiao Yu.
"It is you, with that disgusting aura. Destroy her."
With that, Tarak channeled his psionic power, and debris on the ground floated up, hurtling towards Xiao Yu.
"Xiao Yu, be careful!"
Before Chen Long could react, someone beat him to it, standing in front of Xiao Yu and blocking all the debris. It was the Ferocious Phantom ninjas controlled by Xiao Yu.
One had to admit, the protagonist was indeed the protagonist. Just getting a fake tattoo of Tarak's head had stolen the opponent's control over the Ferocious Phantom.
"A mere human dares to seize my authority! Attack, and kill her!"
At Tarak's command, the two generals behind him charged towards Xiao Yu, each eager to be the first to defeat this human and impress their leader.
Their intentions were clear, but Chen Long and the others were not idle bystanders.
Chen Long stepped forward to block Hsi Wu, while Tarak, suppressing his fear, faced Shendu. The Shadowkhan forces on both sides also engaged in battle.
"Honestly, do I have to do everything myself?"
Tarak felt utterly exasperated. Not only had his entire clan been stolen by a human girl, but his two generals were also engaged in a back-and-forth battle with humans, with no end in sight. Had the world changed so much in the short time he had been sealed?
Helpless, Tarak had to take action himself.
Tarak, who had never left the East, did not possess a wide repertoire of magic and lacked a spell to remove the tattoo from Xiao Yu's leg.
However, Tarak had his own methods.
Since the tattoo couldn't be removed, the problem would be solved at its root by eliminating Xiao Yu.
"You big-headed fool, Dad isn't someone to be trifled with!"
Just as Tarak was about to deal with Xiao Yu first, her dad, holding the pufferfish, jumped out and fired a green magical beam at Tarak.
As a great sorcerer, her dad's magical prowess was undeniable. It was just unfortunate that Tarak had never left the East, and records of him were scarce, mostly consisting of local folklore. Lacking intelligence, her dad was unable to concoct a targeted spell.
The current attack could not be said to be completely ineffective against Tarak, but it was only suppressing him, and even repelling him was proving difficult.
Her dad was at a disadvantage due to the geographical differences and unequal access to information.
Her dad didn't understand Tarak, but Tarak understood her dad very well.
As one of the few great sorcerers in America, information about her dad was protected by the U.S. government. However, the security of the U.S. government was what it was. Moreover, Tarak's previous partner was the underworld emperor, Kingpin.